An act to amend Sections 5105, 5110, 5125, 5145, and 5200 of, and to add Section 5910.1 to, the Civil Code, relating to common interest developments.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 1265, Wieckowski.
Common interest developments: elections.

The Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act governs the creation and management of common interest developments. The act requires a homeowner’s association to adopt rules that, among other things, specify the qualifications for candidates for the board of directors of the association and any other elected position, qualifications for voting, the voting power of each membership, the authenticity, validity, and effect of proxies, and the voting period for elections, including the times at which polls will open and close, consistent with the governing documents. The act requires the sealed ballots to be at all times in the custody of the inspector or inspectors of elections or at a designated location until after the tabulation of the vote.

This bill would, among other things, require an association to disqualify a member from nomination as a candidate for not being a member at the time of nomination and for being convicted of
certain felonies, and would authorize an association to disqualify a person from being nominated or from serving on the board for specified reasons, including the failure to pay regular assessments. The bill would require the rules to ensure that the meeting at which ballots are counted is accessible to all members or their representatives who want to witness the tabulation and that it is held at a common area meeting space of association property or within a reasonable distance from the property.
The bill would also require the rules to require a notice to be provided regarding the return and counting of ballots, nominations, and list of candidates’ names that will appear on the ballot. The bill would require the rules to mandate that the inspector of elections deliver to each member the ballots and a copy of the election operating rules at least 30 days before an election. The bill would require these rules to prohibit the denial of a ballot to a member and to a person with general power of attorney for an owner. This bill would require the sealed ballots, signed voter envelopes, voter list, proxies, and
candidate registration list to be in the custody of the inspector of elections or at a designated location until after vote tabulation and would, with certain exceptions, require these
association election materials to be considered association records, as defined, subject to inspection and copying.

Existing law requires an independent 3rd party to be selected by the association as the inspector of elections and prohibits a person, business entity, or subdivision of a business entity that is employed or under contract to the association for any compensable services from being an independent 3rd party unless otherwise expressly authorized by the rules of the association.

This bill would delete the exception made by rules of the association.

Existing law authorizes a member of an association to bring a civil action for declaratory or equitable relief for a violation of the
above-described provisions by the association within one year from the date the cause of action accrues and authorizes a court to void the election results, as specified. Existing law also authorizes a cause of action for certain violations of the provisions governing common interest development association elections to be brought in small claims court.

This bill would, among other things, authorize the civil action to be brought in superior court or, if the amount of the demand does not exceed the jurisdictional amount of the small claims court, in small claims court, within one year from the date that the inspector of elections notifies the board and membership of the election results, whichever is later. The bill would also require the
court to void the elections results, as specified, unless the association establishes that noncompliance by the association was unintentional and did not affect the results of the election. The bill would also prohibit an association from filing a civil action regarding a dispute in which the member has requested dispute resolution unless the association has complied with the internal dispute resolution procedures governing common interest developments, as specified.

Existing law defines association records to include membership lists, including name, property address, and mailing address, as specified.

This bill would include email addresses among the records that are defined as association records.

Digest Key

Vote:
MAJORITY
Appropriation:
NO
Fiscal Committee:
NO
Local Program:
NO

Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 5105 of the Civil Code is amended to read:

5105.

(a) An association shall adopt rules, at least 90 days before any election, in accordance with the procedures prescribed by Article 5 (commencing with Section 4340) of Chapter 3, that do all of the following:

(1) Ensure that if any candidate or member advocating a point of view is provided access to association media, newsletters, or Internet Web sites during a campaign, for purposes that are reasonably related to that election, equal access shall be provided to all candidates and members advocating a point of view, including those not endorsed by the board, for purposes that are reasonably related to the election. The association shall not edit or redact any content from these
communications, but may include a statement specifying that the candidate or member, and not the association, is responsible for that content.

(2) Ensure access to the common area meeting space, if any exists, during a campaign, at no cost, to all candidates, including those who are not incumbents, and to all members advocating a point of view, including those not endorsed by the board, for purposes reasonably related to the election.

(3) Specify the qualifications for candidates for the board and any other elected position, subject to subdivision (b), and procedures for the nomination of candidates, consistent with the governing documents.

(4) Specify
the voting power of each membership, the authenticity, validity, and effect of proxies, and the voting period for elections, including the times at which polls will open and close, consistent with the governing documents.

(5) Specify a method of selecting one or three independent third parties as inspector or inspectors of elections utilizing one of the following methods:

(A) Appointment of the inspector or inspectors by the board.

(B) Election of the inspector or inspectors by the members of the association.

(C) Any other method for selecting the inspector or inspectors.

(6) Allow the inspector or
inspectors to appoint and oversee additional persons to verify signatures and to count and tabulate votes as the inspector or inspectors deem appropriate, provided that the persons are independent third parties.

(7) Ensure that the meeting at which the ballots are counted meets both of the following criteria:

(A) The meeting is accessible to all members and their representatives who want to witness the tabulation.

(B) The meeting is held at a common area meeting space
of association property, or if no common area meeting space exists, at a location within a reasonable distance from the property.

(8) Unless individual notice has been requested pursuant to Section 4040, require general notice to be provided of all of the following:

(A) The date and time by which, and the physical address where, ballots are to be returned by mail or handed to the inspector or inspectors of elections, which shall be provided at least 30 days before the ballots are distributed.

(B) The date and location of the meeting at which ballots will be counted, which shall be provided at least 30
days before the ballots are distributed.

(C) The procedure and deadline for submitting a nomination, which shall be provided at least 30 days before the deadline for submitting a nomination.

(D) The list of all candidates’ names that will appear on the ballot, which shall be provided at least 30 days before the ballots are distributed.

(E) The list of all voters by name and parcel number, and voting power, which shall be provided at least 30 days before the ballots are distributed.

(9) Require any errors or omissions to the list of candidates’ names or list of voters to be immediately reported to the inspector or inspectors who will make the
corrections within two business days.

(b) An association
shall disqualify a person from a nomination as a candidate pursuant to either of the following:

(1) An association shall disqualify a
nominee for not being a member of the association at the time of the nomination.

(2) An association shall disqualify a nominee if, within the past 20 years, the person has been convicted
of a felony involving accepting, giving, or offering to give, a bribe, the embezzlement of money, the extortion or theft of money, perjury, or conspiracy to commit any of those crimes. For purposes of this paragraph, “conviction of a felony” includes a conviction of a felony in this state and a conviction under the laws of any other state, the United States, or any foreign government or country of a crime that, if committed in this state, would be a felony, and for which the person has not received a pardon from a person or entity authorized to grant the pardon.

(c) An association may disqualify a person from nomination as a candidate pursuant to any of the following:

(1) Through its bylaws only, and subject to paragraph (2) of subdivision (d), an association may require a nominee for a board seat, and an incumbent board director during his or her board tenure, to be current in the payment of regular assessments, which are consumer debts subject to validation. If an association requires a nominee to be current in the payment of regular assessments, it shall also require an incumbent board director to be current in the
payment of regular assessments.

(2) Through its bylaws only, an association may prohibit more than one person with joint ownership interests in the same separate interest parcel from serving as
board directors at the same time, subject to the following:

(A) The board may disqualify a person from nomination as a candidate pursuant to this paragraph only in cases where that person, if elected, could not serve on the board without violating the above prohibition.

(B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), the board may disqualify from nomination as a candidate a person who is a joint owner of a parcel if one of the other joint owners is already properly nominated for the current election, and none of the joint owners is an incumbent board director.

(3) Through its bylaws only, an association may disqualify a nominee if that person has been a member of the association for less than one year.

(d) Before disqualifying a nominee for alleged nonpayment of regular assessments, the association shall provide the nominee the opportunity to engage in the internal dispute resolution process set forth in Article 2 (commencing with Section 5900) of Chapter 10.

(1) A disqualifying debt includes regular assessments and interest owed the association. Fines, fines renamed as assessments, collection charges, late charges, or other costs levied by a third party are not disqualifying debts.

(2) The nominee shall not be disqualified for failure to be current in payment of regular assessments if any of the following circumstances are true:

(A) The nominee has paid the regular assessment under protest pursuant to Section 5658.

(B) The nominee has entered into a payment plan pursuant to Section 5665.

(C) Upon request by the nominee to engage in the internal dispute resolution process, the association fails to convene a timely session of the process, or the nominee and the association are
engaged in the process at the time of the deadline for nominations.

(D) It is determined, at the conclusion of the internal dispute resolution process, that the nominee does not owe a disqualifying debt.

(e) Notwithstanding any other law, the rules adopted pursuant to this section may provide for the nomination of candidates from the floor of membership meetings or nomination by any other manner. Those rules may permit write-in candidates for ballots.

(f) Notwithstanding any other law, the rules adopted pursuant to this section shall do all of the following:

(1) Prohibit the denial of a ballot to a member for any reason other than not being a member at the time when ballots are distributed.

(2) Prohibit the denial of a ballot to a person with general power of attorney for a member.

(3) Require the ballot of a person with general power of attorney for a member to be counted if returned in a timely manner.

(4) Require the inspector or inspectors of elections to deliver, or cause to be delivered, at least 30 days before an election, to each member both of the following documents:

(A) The ballot or ballots.

(B) A copy of the election operating rules. Delivery of the election operating rules may be accomplished by either of the following methods:

(i) Posting the election operating rules to an Internet Web site and including the corresponding Internet Web site address on the ballot together with the phrase, in at least 12-point font: “The rules governing this election may be found here:”

(ii) Individual delivery.

SEC. 2.

Section 5110 of the Civil Code is amended to read:

5110.

(a) The association shall select an independent third party or parties as an inspector of elections. The number of inspectors of elections shall be one or three.

(b) For the purposes of this section, an independent third party includes, but is not limited to, a volunteer poll worker with the county registrar of voters, a licensee of the California Board of Accountancy, or a notary public. An independent third party may be a member, but may not be a director or a candidate for director or be related to a director or to a candidate for director. An independent third party may not be a person, business entity, or subdivision of a business entity who is currently employed or under contract
to the association for any compensable services other than serving as an inspector of elections.

(c) The inspector or inspectors of elections shall do all of the following:

(1) Determine the number of memberships entitled to vote and the voting power of each.

(2) Determine the authenticity, validity, and effect of proxies, if any.

(3) Receive ballots.

(4) Hear and determine all challenges and questions in any way arising out of or in connection with the right to vote.

(5) Count and tabulate all votes.

(6) Determine when the polls shall close, consistent with the governing documents.

(7) Determine the tabulated results of the election.

(8) Perform any acts as may be proper to conduct the election with fairness to all members in accordance with this article, the Corporations Code, and all applicable rules of the association regarding the conduct of the election that are not in conflict with this article.

(d) An inspector of elections shall perform all duties impartially, in good faith, to the best of the inspector of election’s ability, and as expeditiously as is practical. If there are three inspectors of elections, the decision or act of a majority shall be
effective in all respects as the decision or act of all. Any report made by the inspector or inspectors of elections is prima facie evidence of the facts stated in the report.

SEC. 3.

Section 5125 of the Civil Code is amended to read:

5125.

The sealed ballots, signed voter envelopes, voter list, proxies, and candidate registration list shall at all times be in the custody of the inspector or inspectors of elections or at a location designated by the inspector or inspectors until after the tabulation of the vote, and until the time allowed by Section 5145 for challenging the election has expired, at which time custody shall be transferred to the association. If there is a recount or other challenge to the election process, the inspector or inspectors of elections shall, upon written request, make the
election materials available for inspection and review by an association member or the member’s authorized representative. Any recount shall be conducted in a manner that preserves the confidentiality of the vote.

SEC. 4.

Section 5145 of the Civil Code is amended to read:

5145.

(a) A member of an association may bring a civil action for declaratory or equitable relief for a violation of this article by the association, including, but not limited to, injunctive relief, restitution, or a combination thereof, within one year of the date that the inspector or inspectors of elections notifies the board and membership of the election results or the cause of action accrues, whichever is later. Upon a finding that the election procedures of this article, or the adoption of and the adherence to rules provided by Article 5 (commencing with Section 4340) of Chapter 3, were not followed, a court shall void the results of the election, unless the association establishes, by a preponderance of the evidence, that its noncompliance with
this article or the election operating rules was unintentional and did not affect the results of the election. The findings of the court shall be stated in writing as part of the record.

(b) A member who prevails in a civil action to enforce the member’s rights pursuant to this article shall be entitled to reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs, and the court may impose a civil penalty of up to five hundred dollars ($500) for each violation, except that each identical violation shall be subject to only one penalty if the violation affects each member of the association equally. A prevailing association shall not recover any costs, unless the court finds the action to be frivolous, unreasonable, or without foundation. If a member prevails in a civil action brought in small claims court, the member shall be awarded court
costs and reasonable attorney’s fees incurred for consulting an attorney in connection with this civil action.

(c) A cause of action under subdivision (a) may be brought in either the Superior Court or, if the amount of the demand does not exceed the jurisdictional amount of the small claims court, in small claims court.

SEC. 5.

Section 5200 of the Civil Code is amended to read:

5200.

For the purposes of this article, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) “Association records” means all of the following:

(1) Any financial document required to be provided to a member in Article 7 (commencing with Section 5300) or in Sections 5565 and 5810.

(2) Any financial document or statement required to be provided in Article 2 (commencing with Section 4525) of Chapter 4.

(3) Interim financial statements, periodic or as compiled, containing any of the following:

(A) Balance sheet.

(B) Income and expense statement.

(C) Budget comparison.

(D) General ledger. A “general ledger” is a report that shows all transactions that occurred in an association account over a specified period of time.

The records described in this paragraph shall be prepared in accordance with an accrual or modified accrual basis of accounting.

(4) Executed contracts not otherwise privileged under law.

(5) Written board approval of vendor or contractor proposals or invoices.

(6) State and federal tax returns.

(7) Reserve account balances and records of payments made from reserve accounts.

(8) Agendas and minutes of meetings of the members, the board, and any committees appointed by the board pursuant to Section 7212 of the Corporations Code; excluding, however, minutes and other information from executive sessions of the board as described in Article 2 (commencing with Section 4900).

(9) Membership lists, including name, property address, mailing address, and email address, but not including information for members who have opted out pursuant to Section 5220.

(b) “Enhanced association records” means invoices, receipts and canceled checks for payments made by the association, purchase orders approved by the association, credit card statements for credit cards issued in the name of the association, statements
for services rendered, and reimbursement requests submitted to the association.

(c) “Association election materials” means returned ballots, signed voter envelopes, a list of parcel numbers and voters to whom ballots were to be sent, proxies, and the candidate registration list. Except for the purposes of this article, signed voter envelopes may be inspected but shall not be copied.

SEC. 6.

Section 5910.1 is added to the Civil Code, to read:

5910.1.

An association may not file a civil action regarding a dispute in which the member has requested dispute resolution unless the association has complied with Section 5910 by engaging in good faith in the internal dispute resolution procedures after a member invokes those procedures.